Chapter 261 Sharpening the Sword
Liu Cong’s defeated troops quickly returned to Pingyang.
On the flat river valley, two completely different styles of painting appeared.
A kind of fortress built of masonry, earth and wood, standing high on the plain.
Around Wubao, there are vast tracts of roads and thousands of hectares of fertile farmland.
The other type is villages or settlements, most of which have recently migrated and exist in the form of clans and tribes, each under the leadership of the Liu family, Huyan family and other Xiongnu noble surnames.
Liu Cong had his own tribe: the former Xi Ke tribe of the Xiongnu.
After returning to the tribe, the heads of the tribes (tribe chiefs), marshals, and clan leaders came to pay homage one after another: "Your Highness."
Liu Cong looked ashamed.
Many of the thousands of cavalry who went on the expedition came from several tribes under his control, the so-called Xiongnu headquarters.
Obviously someone failed to come back this time, which made it difficult for him to face the big and small heads.
"Everyone..." Liu Cong opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
"Your Highness." Youbu Dai stepped forward and said, "A prairie man died in the army. He was born to fight. Your Highness does not need to blame himself."
Everyone said yes.
Liu Cong felt better, showed a little smile, and entered an earthen city surrounded by his boss, marshal, and clan leaders.
There are girls who offer milk, cheese, mutton, green rice (millet), Dongqiang wine and other traditional foods - Dongqiang (also known as Dongqiang, the historian has not yet been able to verify what kind of plant it is) ), green and black in color, like fluffy grass, but actually like sunflower seeds. When ripe in October, it can be made into white wine.
Liu Cong asked the senior officials to sit in a circle, as is the custom in the prairie.
He actually doesn’t like these foods very much.
Having long been accustomed to the lifestyle of the Jin people, he had no interest in these so-called traditions, but in order to get close to the tribal leaders, he acted well and ate happily.
After Liu Cong took action, the leaders also started eating, including meat, rice and milk.
"I heard that ten thousand people were recruited from various tribes?" After half-full, Liu Cong took a sip of wine and asked.
"One child from two households is not a big fortune." Youbu Dai said.
“Our people came out a bit too much.”
“If we can grab something, we won’t lose anything.”
“In the past, the Han people gave money and food to give away We are fighting, and now the Jin people can’t afford this money, so they can’t help themselves?”
Everyone laughed when he said this.
Liu Cong also smiled.
“The story of the Han Dynasty provided more than 190,000,000 to Nandanyu.”
To put it simply, the Eastern Han Dynasty spent “more than 190,000,000” worth of food every year. Money, food and materials were given to Nan Danyu to support this group of Huns mercenaries.
After a hundred years of the Three Kingdoms, the Huns were still mercenaries, fighting for Cao Wei.
The same was true in the early and middle periods of the Western Jin Dynasty.
That’s why a military commander just now said that the Huns were “heavy soldiers to death” and that was not nonsense. They were professional mercenaries.
It’s just that after moving south to the Han Dynasty, they were indeed a bit useless and were not as ferocious as the newly emerged Xianbei people on the grassland.
"The Jin people are fighting each other, and the elite soldiers and generals are almost beaten, but there are still a few strong forces left." Liu Cong waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then said: "Shao Xun, the Duke of Luyang County, the accountant The Silver Spear Army is quite organized and difficult to deal with. It is best to be careful when you encounter it. Shi Le once mentioned that he is good at using car formations. You may think of a way."
"Your Highness said so. , we will be careful.”
“Maybe we can use wolf hunting methods to deal with it.”
“Yes. Delay, siege, dig roads, set fire, and smoke. It’s good if the car can travel more than ten miles a day.”
“I would like to meet him and see how good he is.”
Liu Cong felt very relieved after hearing this.
They have never met Shao Xun, but they are quite impressive. This is not a bad thing, fighting depends on morale.
If you are afraid of Shao thieves, you will shrink your hands and feet when fighting, which will not be beautiful.
"Will your Highness lead us when we go on an expedition next month?" Yoube asked.
“Next month? Has it been decided yet?”
“It’s almost there. Cheese, dried meat, and grain have all been requisitioned, so it will be soon.”
"If you don't get anything in this battle, you will be at a loss."
Everyone was talking and talking.
The biggest problem faced by the Xiongnu during the war was the raising of food.
Bingzhou also suffered from drought this year. Although it was not as serious as Henan, it was still affected and it was difficult to raise food.
Shi Le contributed a little, and the tribes in Hexi, where the disaster was less severe, also sent some grain, cattle and sheep, but it was not enough, so they had to go south to rob them.
"Attack Luoyang, I will still be the vanguard." Liu Cong nodded and said: "There will be many tribesmen from Hexi and Daibei coming over by then. You must have a good relationship with them and don't get into trouble. When fighting, we should work together.”
"As ordered." Everyone responded in unison.
After finishing the banquet, Liu Cong left Tucheng and walked around the tribe's headquarters.
Someone is sharpening a knife.
Someone is adjusting the riding bow and the walking bow.
Someone is washing the horses.
Someone is preparing the rope for capturing the prisoners.
Some people led a group of teenagers, imparted some experience to them, and taught them how to fight.
The above is a man.
The woman is preparing winter fodder for the livestock.
There are still people milking cows, drying cheese, and preparing dry food.
Some people are even killing sheep. On the one hand, it is for winter fodder, and it is traditional to slaughter livestock in late autumn. On the other hand, it is also to prepare dried meat for the army.
Cheese and dried meat are very hungry, do not take up space and are light in weight. They are essential items for cavalry on long-distance raids. Liu Cong was quite emotional after seeing it.
Why did such a good soldier suffer a big loss from Yuan Yan and Shao Xun?
He has been reflecting on this for the past two days.
Shao Xun is quite strategic in fighting.
One of the outstanding characteristics is that he thinks a lot, not thinking about winning, but thinking about defeat first.
Before attacking a certain place, the first thing that comes to mind is to secure food routes, and the second thing to consider is the retreat in case of defeat.
What an old-fashioned general!
He is only in his twenties, how can he fight like an old man in his fifties or sixties? There is no youthful spirit at all, no heroic passion at all!
But this kind of person has really few flaws, which gives him a headache.
He likes the kind of generals who are open and close, brave and diligent, but also have many flaws. The two sides fight back and forth, and there are dangers everywhere, but they all have a chance to win.
In such chaotic battles, he is often able to take advantage of the cavalry, seize fleeting opportunities, and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.
If Wang Kuang had not entered Changping last year and blocked the river in Hanoi, it would not have been easy to defeat the 30,000-strong army.
But Wang Kuang dared to march northward, and was finally surrounded by his cavalry and defeated in one fell swoop.
This time when he went south to Luoyang, he didn't want to meet Shao Thief. The way that guy fights is simply disgusting.
However, you will still encounter it in the future.
Someone has mentioned my problems before, but I don’t like to hear them. Now I have to slowly correct them.
Raising troops out of anger, being impatient and aggressive, being too competitive, etc. are not the qualities that a general should have. It is not the quality that a king should have, if he still wants to get that big position.
As the sun set, Liu Cong, who had been standing in the wild for a long time, woke up. After sighing, he walked towards Tucheng.
After suffering the loss, he seems to have matured a lot, even though he is already in his thirties.
The "Shao Thief" in Liu Cong's mouth is like the "godfather" of the Jin Dynasty's military circles, and he has matured various generals in batches.
Wang Mi, Shi Le, Liu Cong...
Next, I don’t know which “victim” it is.
******
Fan Long returned to Pingyang City before Liu Cong, and the first thing he did was to report to the city.
After hearing this, Liu Yuan said nothing. He had other things to worry about now.
"Your Majesty seems to be worried about something?" Fan Long asked.
Liu Yuan looked at a map placed on the desk and asked casually: "When will Xuanming come?"
"Just these few days." Fan Long couldn't say, either. You can only answer truthfully.
Liu Yuan nodded. In fact, he didn't care much about this matter.
Fan Long glanced at the map quietly.
Dahan has developed to this day and is already quite powerful.
Most of the six counties in Bingzhou were captured by the imperial court. Liu Kun was almost surrounded. Even if he contacted Luoyang, he could only go in the direction of Xiangyuan, and the messenger was still at risk of being captured.
Pingyang and Hedong counties in Sizhou also acquired it.
In Feng Yi County in Guanzhong, there were tribes that were dependent on the imperial court.
In the vast land of Hexi, Empress Shan's natal family and four Xianbei tribes led by Lu Zhuyan came to surrender.
In the prosperous Hebei, there was territory occupied by Shi Le.
This is a big country that spans the four prefectures of Bing, Yong, Hebei, and Si, as well as parts of the Hexi grassland.
“Food!” Liu Yuan patted the table and sighed.
The food issue has always been the crux.
More than 10,000 Di people were summoned from Feng Yi, and more than 10,000 Xianbei from the four tribes were recruited from Shangjun. More than 10,000 Xianbei from Xinxing and Yanmen counties, including Tiefu and Baibu, were recruited. The Xiongnu headquarters have 20,000 cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry, and there are also Zhuwubao Dingzhuang and Wang Mi in Pingyang and Hedong...
With so many soldiers and horses gathered, the consumption is really huge.
"Let's set out in October at the latest." Liu Yuan stood up, not looking at Fan Long, but at the sudden autumn rain outside, and said, "Fan Qing, which direction do you think the troops should advance from?"
"I think it would be better to leave Zhiguan and enter Hanoi." Fan Long suggested.
"Is it because Yuan Yan and Shao Xun just defeated Xuan Ming?" Liu Yuan uncrossed his brows and asked with a smile.
"No." Fan Long shook his head and said: "Hanoi is rich, which is convenient for raising food and contacting King Ping Jin."
"Shi Le has opened up the situation now." Liu Yuan laughed. He said: "What should Shi Le do with this attack on Luoyang?"
"Maybe we can order King Ping Jin to go south to Yuzhou." Fan Long said: "Yecheng, Jijun and Dunqiu are the three places. The Prime Minister, like Liu Kun of Jinyang, only defended the city and was vulnerable to attack. Once the Shi soldiers entered Yuzhou, it was difficult for Wang Kan and Wang Shiwen to assist Luoyang. "
< br>Liu Yuan nodded slightly.
This strategy is actually good, and it can also take advantage of the situation to cut off a grain transportation channel in Luoyang.
“But I don’t know how the emperor and ministers of Luoyang responded.” Liu Yuan turned back and said.
"They may think that His Majesty will not attack Luoyang." Fan Long said with a smile.
Liu Yuan laughed loudly: "We have summoned so many people, what can we do without a fight? Please go and urge Xuan Ming and ask him to come see me quickly."
"I obey. Purpose." Fan Long resigned and left.
When I left the city, I met Da Sikong Huyanyi.
He frowned and was so worried that even Fan Long didn't pay attention and went straight into the city.
Fan Long felt worried in his heart.
Hu Yanyi has been reorganizing the infantry recently and is worried about food every day. Moreover, I heard that the infantry troops who had been recruited were in a violent mood, and they were very dissatisfied with Hu Yanyi for not distributing sufficient army rations, and there were also many people who shouted for beatings and killings.
Fan Long always felt like there was a black air hovering above his head, as if there was a bloody disaster.
He shook his head, got rid of the thought, and left quickly.
(End of this chapter)